Independent bookshops in China are operating with a new lease of life. We find a quiet corner in three of the best to find out how they keep customers coming back.
Restaurant openings can buoy neighbourhoods and help set a city’s culinary agenda. As such we asked a few of our favourite food writers for the inside scoop on some of the launches to look out for in the year ahead.
The Monocle Guide to Good Business is a book for would-be business leaders, start-ups and established companies that feel it’s time for some new ideas.
Catching a train to Kyoto isn’t just part of Tokyo-based architect Jun Aoki’s weekly ritual – it’s a chance for him to reflect and a constant source of inspiration.
With its outward-looking location facing China and South Korea, a unique local focus and strong sense of civic pride among the city’s residents, Fukuoka’s distinctive media landscape is booming.
Taking an alternative angle to office life is Singaporean Joshua Ip, whose surreal slice of fiction is the work of a writer at the top of his game.Overworked office drone Hong Seng mysteriously transforms into a photocopier…
Whether it’s a cosy corner shop or a well-delivered joke, there’s plenty to write home about even when we’re confined to our ’hoods. Plus: our correspondents check in from afar.
The launch of a new concept shop in Tokyo ticks many boxes: an impeccable edit, high-end food offerings and striking warehouse space. Yet it is the addition of a dedicated book corner that has proved a real winner.
Books: Catalogue of love affair, an East End turf survey, George Steiner's essays.
Films:Jamie Johnson's documentary Sounds Like Teen Spirit and fresh blood in Let the Right one In.
Art: New shows at Athens and Turin. Plus…
Whatever you might have heard, the creative spark is alive and well. Need convincing? Take a wander through our pick of audial, visual and sensory reasons to be cheerful.
Film: Beat the encroaching winter blues with our international film-festival round-up Books: China's internal migrants, displaced Metro announcers and a sideways glance at the art of presidential races Art: Jeremy Deller…